gift waves

I surfed so much this past week I am loosing track of how much I paddled out. The gift of surf is priceless to me and actually having time and waves align is a very good thing. Saturday was choppy and drifty but this size was good. Sunday, my birthday, was a little smaller but much better. I woke early and took off leaving various in laws and my family asleep. Only the visiting pet dog took notice as he lifted is eyes from his comfortable sleeping spot atop my couch. I surfed til I could surf no more and left good waves behind for those arriving with fresh paddling muscles. Monday, Christmas Eve, another early surf gift. The waves lined up nicely and though smaller the conditions were very clean. Riding my trusty 9'6" Will Allison, I managed several nice noserides. Still not perched over the tip of the nose with ten toes, but I am getting there. Any time I am spend on the front third of the board I count. As I progress I suppose I will whittle that down. I figure by the time I can shed the extra 10-15 pounds of wetsuit this summer, I will get there- at least to cheat five...Christmas was a good day on the ocean from what I read on the local report websites, but it was better spent with my family and I figured I was pushing my luck anyway! Yesterday was a great way to end my days off with a great little session on small longboard waves. I rode the Weisbecker Board and with a new, larger center fin was able to get on the nose of that board too...by my current definitions anyway.

The Half Life of Stoke

Scientists use the term "Half Life" to describe how things decay or diminish most commonly for radioactive materials. I have come to find my own surf stoke half life. Imagine the last wave you caught and that thrill and the euphoria. The last ones I rode were on Sunday- Big, windy, cold surf. I did get beat up a few times and bailed out on more waves than I rode. At the end of the session I only had a handful of rides, but each was intense. Those feelings fuel my love of surfing and that rush embedded in my core may diminish over time, but it will never really go away.

On windy days like that one, the crest of the waves get blown around, in this case blown back by the offshore winds. From behind those peaks its as though a mini rainshower is falling. That same spray often creates personalized rainbows as the bright daylight pierces the mist of sea water.

Walking down the street the next day, I felt the same cold and wind and pulled my coat tighter and tucked my chin down to stay warmer. I don't remember any of the cold of surfing the day before, but do remember most of the other things going on in and near my spot. Like all my surf sessions, this one has a half life, it will diminish in memory and the thrill of the glide will too, but it never goes away completely.

bump in sight

Its been so flat lately that I not surfed in over a week. I know this not because I keep track on a calendar when I surf, but I can feel the absence, feel the itch, the urge and the thrist for riding waves. There is a bump in sight however! Things are shaping up to be a nice week of medium period waves that will be just right for fixing what ails me. As I have continued my search for my 40th birthday present board for myself, I found a deal on a beginner softop longboard that I couldn't pass up, so that may be my present to myself--- a board that others can surf or learn to surf on. The only stoke near to riding a wave and surfing, really surfing, is that of seeing someone else learn. So, my focus turns to two things...getting priority projects done around the house, and getting my garage ready for the other project- shaping and glassing my own board. I am going to get my blank later this month, maybe next week ...if I am not too busy surfing.

Weekend Surf

Thanks to an understanding family, I can almost always get some surfing in on the weekends. I have long realized that I can't schedule surfing around days I have available without missing some of the best waves, so I usually get a day in during the week before or after work too. And yes, sometimes I just have to use a little vacation time and surf when there is surf.

This past Saturday I picked up a used soft surfboard. The local surf camp was selling of the seasons used equipment and I have a few people wanting to learn, so this is a good board for that. Of course I had to give it a try! It floats really well and its light, but when I went for some turns it sort of just fizzled out and stopped. The rails are really thick and rounded, and it has three small fins, so maybe it just needs to be ridden straight...

Sunday was better, and I had my regular magic board. The waves were bigger, but the conditions were choppy and there was a southward drift, but overall I caught some good fast rides. Of course this time of year you catch the folks walking along the beach eyeing you like you are crazy, and some old lady started to scold me for walking around without a shirt and shoes as I was still halfway in my wetsuit getting my board strapped in for the trip home. When there is a couple walking, the men usually look at me and with there eyes seem to be saying "show off" , or "i could do that"..and the women seem to be more in wonder and often tend to smile. I don't know what this says about people or me or anything really, but I am a good people watcher and its what I sense. And of course its December now, so everyone asks me if its cold,or if I am cold, or do you get cold. I want to tell them that its just a latex fetish I have! Seriously , the suits work, but there is a price to pay in how you move, and how much quicker I get winded. Occasionally, like on Sunday, you catch women checking you out. I never thought of this as a reason for surfing mind you, after all I am happily married, but even my wife seems to like that I surf. And then there was the attractive red head at the beach that day. She too asked my if I was cold as we passed, but I like to think she was just flirting! Hey- I turn 40 this month, can't a guy have his ego boosted a little!?

Lastly, I went to the Wrightsville Beach Longboard Association oyster roast and Christmas party. It was fun and really the first function as a newly minted member of the club. My wife was impressed that I initiated doing something social (typically I just show up where I am told), but this was all me. Food was good and the company and conversations were better! Next weekend on Friday is the Hope From Helen fundraiser. This non profit is centered in the local surfing community and started as a way to help a local surf shop manager's mother through her illnesses. Now in her memory , the group raises funds for surf related charities like Surfers Healing and other worthy causes. So, I will go to that too and look forward to more camaraderie with fellow surfers.

Just me and the fishermen

I paddled out this morning to some fun, although a little on the small side, waves. Generally clean, medium period, mostly thigh high with some knee, and some waist high. I try to respect the people fishing, especially when they are in a spot before me, but damn if they don't tend to park themselves where I want to surf. I tried some new wax today made by Magmalabs and I have to say its pretty good stuff. I had just stripped my 9'6" clean and needed wax, but the shop I was at didn't have the sexwax I usually use, and I had recalled something about magamlabs a while back but had not actually seen any in stores. I suppose since I had just dropped $50 on some new booties, they threw the wax in for free (Yes, right- just like there is not such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as free surf wax). The stuff is really good and it has little "embers" or color coded temperature specks so you can remember what the leftover chunk of wax actually is and identify what kind is on your stick. Cool, huh?

Today's rides were not memorable per se, but I love every ride I get. I kept jumping on OK waves only to miss the great set behind them because I couldn't get back out in time. This particular spot has a nice sandbar and when I start getting winded, I just stand on the bar waiting for the next ride and push myself and board into the oncoming wave. I am pretty good at that now and with so many smallish days I am self anointed as the shore break king; flat spot on my fin and all! .

Time to Give Thanks

Two days from Thanksgiving. Things are pretty slow in the office and tomorrow looks like some decent surf for me. Plans are currently to surf in the AM, go to work, surf the AM of Turkey Day then hit the road to visit the in laws a few hours inland. On Friday we come back home and with any luck I can paddle out on Saturday or Sunday. I give much thanks to surfing and all that is has led me to. I do that everyday- give thanks for surfing that is. I can be thankful that the in laws are not coming to our place! I am SO thankful my wife is understanding and supportive of my habit, addiction, evolving way of life (surf life). I am thankful I bought the used local shaped board that is full of surf "mana" and the memorable rides it has carried me upon. I am thankful for neoprene. I am thankful for all those I love and that love me- though it is a short list that doesn't change much. I am thankful for a great job, great kids and wife, and really a pretty great life. Next year perhaps I can be thankful for mastering the art of noseriding and getting barrelled, but for now just catching rides down the line on my log makes me pretty darn happy.

Window Shopping

I'm window shopping surf shops trying to figure out what board I want to add to my quiver. The only new board I bought was my first- a 7'9" Bic Natural Surf which still has its place. In addition to that, I have 3 longboards, a 6' softop for my little grom, a 5'11" thruster, and a 6'8" big boy thruster- all used with most of them coming from yard sales. I enjoy fixing them up and have replaced a glassed in fin (the most technically challenging of my repairs) fixed many a ding, some small scale delams, small patches, and on one did a major rehab that involved adding a full length "patch" to the deck. I also tinkered with graphics and lately have been trying to study up on design since I fully intend to build a board myself (shape and glass) starting this winter. I have some good Aerialite glass and a local source for Teccel blanks. I will write about that project in the future. I like checking out surf shops anyway, so looking at the various boards gives me ideas about what I might buy and/or build. We have great shapers locally and I am considering having one built for me. My 4oth birthday is around the corner and I even have the blessing from the Mrs. (Actually it was her idea!) and I know they could build just what I need even if I don't know really what that might be myself. I know I can stand up on the 7'9" and with a little more volume that length or something in the vicinity might be good in more of a longboard shape. I have seen some really thick 8 footers that interest me. But I also have seen some shorter boards shaped by Will Allison (shaper of two of my longboards and local surfing legend) that have lots of thickness that maybe I can stand up on. Maybe a good fish might be the call? Then I go completely in the other direction to a big, heavy log. Ten feet plus! Maybe even find a vintage board that is still a rider. The longboard association I just joined has an annual contest with both a classic (pre 1968) and supertanker (11" or longer) division and that might be fun to have something that would qualify for those. But gosh, I don't know that I really get everything I can out of the boards I already have! Maybe I should wait til I break one or take more time to ride these and figure out what I want. You might be thinking we should all have this dilemma....

Any Given Morning

I recently joined the Wrightsville Beach Longboard Association and though I don't know most of the members it is a good group and I like being with like minded folks. One of the members just had a movie in the local independent film festival, Cucalorus, entitled Any Given Morning. It really was a good film. Thirty minutes of surfing footage, narrative, interviews, and all of it seemed to hit home with me. The link above goes to a static web page, but a trailer is being worked on and she is going to be taking pre-orders for the movie soon.

On this past Sunday and Monday(Veteran's Day Holiday for this bureaucrat) I surfed some OK longboard waves. Sunday I rode the Weisbecker Board, but forgot my leash which was interesting. I was essentially alone in the water as far as surfers went, but there were a lot of people walking on the beach enjoying the bright day and crystal clear, Caribbean blue waters. I wasn't alone in the water if you count the 2 or 3 pods of dolphins. There were maybe 15 or 20 total swimming and feeding as close as 10 yards away. I could see some of the finer details of their markings, things like little notches in their fins. I missed a few good set waves as I preferred to watch the graceful arcs they make in the water. Monday was a better surfing day, cleaner and a little bigger but nothing spectacular. The picture is from the same day and probably a few beach accesses south of where I paddled out. Different board, and I had my leash this time, different waves, different day, same spot; It's continually impressive how different surfing is for me from day to day , session to session. I thought of Any Given Morning and how I am not alone with these thoughts.

Weisbecker and the club with no roster

A call to action!
I am a fanatic about Allan Weisbecker and his literary works. His latest memoir is out and avaiable. If you have read In Search of Captain Zero and / or Cosmic Banditos... then what are you waiting for...
http://www.banditobooks.com/ezine/books/cygawa/overview

If you don't have any cash...send me and email and maybe you can borrow mine-In a few days a copy I donated with be available at the New Hanover County Library. Or if you want to kill some time online while you are supposed to be working or doing homework...go here...
http://www.banditobooks.com and please join the forum. As a moderator I get a little bored and like the conversations.

What's even better is that he is an accessible kind of guy. Check the website, send a message or give him some feedback and you will see.

Big Days

Hurricane Noel brought lots of grief to many, but it also brought surf and with that joy to others. Saturday was big, a little chilly (full suit for the first time this season) and fun. I has some trouble getting clean rides because the steepness of the wave faces and my relative lack of higher surf skills made it hard to get past the drop. My pal with his board, 2 feet shorter, had similar problems so maybe it was just tough conditions. I think I had as much fun watching others get good rides on Saturday. I have not seen, with my own eyes in person, that many surfers get barrelled. By this I mean a true, inside the tube and back out again legitimate "getting shacked" experience. That day I did see this happen and more than once. I also saw a local board shaper and was impressed how he maneuvered his longboard on these same waves. Its a little frustrating, but mostly inspiring. I may get a board shaped by this guy one of these days.

Sunday was a different story. It was cleaner conditions, smaller, but plenty big for me. I found myself wishing I had waited and not gone out the day before. My body- arms, shoulders, stamina- was lacking and I found myself having to quit sooner than I wanted to end that session. At the next public access north of me, I could see the kite festival going on and the colors pulled taught against the sky provided a change in scenery. As I stopped I passed along the good news of promising surf to the fellow surfer just getting ready to walk down to the beach. It seems I made him happy even before he got wet.

Feeling small

The surf has been pretty big the last week or so and I can usually push past the impact zone and get through the breakers and to the outside. I know there is a return on that ivestment, so I "will" it to happen and then just float around and rest for a few minutes once I punch through. I haven't been working out as much lately, telling myself I am getting enough surfing in instead, but this morning I feel pretty small. I couldn't get through, the longboard I was tethered to wanted to get ridden, but I didn't have it in me. I applaud the pair down the beach that made it out. Sometimes I do better when a buddy is with me, maybe its peer pressure, maybe I am just being shamed into paddling harder. All this said, its still a good day when I paddle out. I will sleep well, maybe my muscles have been conditioned a little in preparation for saturday when the effects of TS Noel reach us and clean up.

A Noseride

Well it happened.

I surfed yesterday in what mostly were just "OK" conditions. The waves had decent size but were inconsistent and a little choppy, but mostly they would have been characterized as mushy. Generally, I move myself along the length of the board trying to enhance or prolong my rides, so I spend plenty of quick moments in that space from maybe 12 inches back from the nose to the place that he fabric inlay ends which is maybe 30 inches back. I like to tell myself that time spent there was noseriding, but I knew it wasn't really a noseride. Its not that I haven't been trying. I know technically and logistically what is supposed to happen and I spend lots of time trying to make quick turns into the face of the wave and head down the line. I try to be graceful in my cross stepping, but I really have not mastered that at all. Its mostly a skip or hop forward and then some backpedal steps. Considering that most of the rides are short anyway, it seems like a pretty efficient, though unattractive, way of moving around the board. After about an hour in the water I seemed to have found my groove. The first few rides of the day were clumsy failures and I noted to myself that proper stretch and warm up were in order from now on. I also had been somewhat distracted by the large youth group that seemed to be engaged in some sort of organized exercise. It reminded me of those government sponsored morning exercises in Japan or China that I had seen photos of, except these teenagers were decidedly foreign as evidenced by there "speedos". Or at least I hope they were. Off on a run to the pier, I resumed focus, or rather lack of focus on anything again and was getting some fun rides.

I paddled, felt the speed pick up and the familiar sensation of catching the wave, and I popped up as I have a thousand times by now. I went right which is never as natural feeling to my goofy stance, but I am pretty comfortable with that now. I was prepared to move forward to find that "glide" by trimming the board with my weight forward or aft but I felt something odd, very odd indeed. Anticipating the rush of sliding down the face of the wave, I stepped (OK- hopped)forward and felt the sensation of my board being held down behind me. I could feel the weight of the wave securely holding my board level. I looked down and could see a large space beneath the nose and I was standing "out there" on said nose. I didn't hang ten or even cheat five, but holy soul arches! Batman I was in fact noseriding. Too shocked and surprised I didn't think to move forward and try a more impressive move, but I did have the composure to backpedal a little at just the right time.

The youth group was far down the beach, a few small groups of people on the shore were busy playing with children or reading. I looked around and gave myself a well deserved, though maybe not really earned, hoot. Among memorable surf days, this one is currently at the top.

State of Mind

My current state of mind is dulled by a persistent, yet mild head cold. This being the case I am eyeing the surf forecast for tomorrow morning like a kid watching a frosting beater being handed to them. I see it coming, I think its going to be pretty good, and nothing else is really on my mind. I surfed the other night after work. I can't recall through the congestion sitting behind my face now which day that was. I went to my secret spot which really is no secret and paddled out alone. I estimated I had an hour before sunset as I had hurriedly unbuckled the faded straps on my roof rack. I wasted five precious minutes setting everything down and scrambling back and forth to pay for the 30 or so minutes of parking for which I was still responsible. Soon I was joined by two other souls and felt the relief of another human nearby in the water, but not too close. The wind had picked up an things looked a little sloppy, but looks are deceiving and waves are best judged from paddling vantage point. The waves were fun. I think most surfers can interpret this descriptor "fun" easy enough. Fun is getting rides if you give a little effort, fun is not epic or threatening, fun is not likely to give you an individual wave or ride that will stick in your head forever. I look for fun waves tomorrow as a minimum, which is usually pretty easy for me to experience. Since I don't think of much else when I a surfing, the head cold will vanish for a while and my state of mind will be altered.

Flat

Flat. One little word that relays so much. Yesterday afterwork I surfed in nearly flat conditions and the forecasts only looked flatter, so it was a chance to maybe catch a ride or two. I did catch lots of quick, jump off into shallow water before you break your fin, rides. I adjusted my position to follow the sunlight peaking through and around the two highrise buildings. The water was nearly perfect for me at 80 or so degrees. The cool breeze across my bareback and still tanned skin drove me into the water between rides. Glassy conditions are beautiful and inviting, but often are accompanied by smaller surf. I tend to embrace small days and in my own mind have become the king of shorebreak longboarding. I know there is risk to myself and board but I think I mitigate that fairly well. Floating in nearly the same spot that less than a week before I had felt the thrill of my biggest drop down a wave, the slow moving bumps in the water hardly seemed like they could come from the same ocean. But then the ocean does that and maybe its what keeps surfing so alive and challenging to me. Tomorrow promises to be smaller if that is possible. I suppose the waiting pile of lumber and fencing will have to be addressed, the grass mowed and other projects attended to for a change.

To give credit where it is due...I found this picture at my favorite local surfing forum and website.. www.wblivesurf.com . I love this site.

Today is Tuesday and the past two days I missed a little work trying to cover child care needs and what I call the "day care shuffle", it happens sometimes and I'd do anything for my little groms, so its no big deal, except...

...did you look at the picture? This is such a pretty wave to me. Smallish, clean, nicely shaped. The winds were almost offshore, the weather is an uncommonly warm 90 degrees and the water is still pretty nice at about 76 degrees. Add to this view that its October and the weekday crowds just don't exist really. Luckily I had two really good surfing days (see previous post) recently, so I can get myself over this angst. I can imagine myself as this unnamed surfer above. I can feel the satisfaction of having successfully timed the wave, popped up and made a turn. The primary difference would have been my turn would have been left as I am goofy; goofy footed that is. Though I really can't "noseride" per se, I do spend a lot of time at the front third or so of the board. Also, I am not so good at cross stepping, so in some viewpoints my almost noserides don't really count anyway.

days to remember

The past few days surfing are going to be memorable. The waves were pretty big for Wrightsville Beach, and better yet they arrived, or were sustained is perhaps more correct, for the Cape Fear Clean Water Classic surf contest. I am glad they had some waves, and I had good intentions of going to watch for a while, but the waves were too good and my time too limited to go watch someone else surf. Saturday I paddled out at dawn with a friend from work. D. has a great attitude about everything and being a better surfer than I helps push me a little. I apparently help in pushing him to get out on the waves more often. Our third "regular" for the Saturday AM surf was out of town. Probably a good thing as it was bigger than he would be up for, at least I am guessing this would have been the case.

Waves always look and seem a lot smaller from the shore, maybe the perspective or distance does it, but arriving Sunday there was no one out on the waves to give anything scale. The ocean peaks and troughs were substantial and the waves thick. I paddled for a few and missed, then paddled for more and got worked over a few times. There was one wave that I will remember for some time. The thick wave rose up, it looked a little taller and steeper so I knew it was going to break in a good place for me. I had already experienced its peers in failing to get a good solid ride, so I had a sense of what I had to do to stick this ride. Mostly, I just really needed to commit and just ride the thing. The longboard, my favorite board, seemed to pause at the apex of the wave as if both I and the board were taking a deep breath, then, the drop. The wave had pitched up and the face was steep but still nicely A-framed. I raced down and left, the little bump and chop of the day's water translated to little slaps of the wave against board as it chattered down toward the bottom. Things were happening pretty fast though I still managed a little bit of a bottom turn and kept left down the line. In review, D. didn't seem to think I had made the wave but as I made that turn, my head appeared above the wave as seen from behind and he seemed impressed that I stuck this ride. I was exhilarated. The bicep burn I had already been feeling was gone, I back out through the impact zone like I was paddling across mill pond. Its been almost 2 days since and this ride is still fresh on my mind. Today, Sunday, I had more of the same, maybe not so big and not as choppy. Also , I didn't score a ride quite like yesterday. D. and I talked about assumptions in life, assumptions in surfing on Saturday and I reflected on this today. I realize I have a lot to learn and experience yet on my board.

a little homecoming

I surfed this morning before work. The conditions did not look so great when I arrived at the beach, but the waves had some size and though it was choppy and a little windy, there was no drift to speak of as it had been earlier in the week. I was in a rush to get into the water, so I skipped the coffee (bad mistake), forgot my rashquard (not so bad really) and then slammed the little fastex buckle on my surf racks in my car door. The slow motion view of this pained me until the sound of plastic hitting pavement shocked me back into regular speed viewing. I took a buckle from by backpack and fixed that first. I knew that I would want to surf until the last possible minute before a quick rinse off, dressing in the parking lot and getting to work for a meeting..just in time. I started to wonder if some message was being sent to just go home. Then I looked at the tattered board bag at my feet and I smiled. Inside was my favorite board, but one I had let lay fallow in a sense for several sessions. I bought this board used but it feels like it was made for me custom. There beside me, begging to be ridden, lay my 9'6" Allison Classic Longboard. I don't know enough about why its so good, but Will Allison shaped some magic into this board and the thousands of waves and and boards behind him all culminated into what is easily the best board I've ridden. So, it was a homecoming of sorts for me and my board. Paddling out always feels good on this stick. The white foam and froth of the ocean accentuated the little bit of yellowing this board has now. I have dinged and repaired the board more times than I recall of hand. The Rainbow Fin Company 9.5 Noserider fin, perfectly matched for this board, now has a flat spot where I've done too much "king of the shore break" riding.
I can tell I am a little out of shape by how quickly I felt the "bicep burn" kick in paddling out after each ride today. The board seemed to fall back into rhythm quicker than I and I worked passed the lack of caffeine until I fell back into mine. The rides were mostly short (what else is new), but I had fun. I pushed myself and made deep, rail burying turns just to feel the familiar, but sorely missed feel of that particular shaped board under my feet. We had our reunion, we surfed a little, that board and I. I really like trying any surfboard that I can manage to stand on and I have a few others that are really fun, but lately the best part of riding them has been that I really appreciate the one I surfed today.

My To Do List

My To Do List

About a year ago, Surfer Magazine published a list of 67 things all surfers should do in their lifetimes. I still have this issue and mentally checked off a few of these must do items. For example, “Surf in the rain” (#26), Done!; I have been riding a super fun 9’1” Power Tools longboard from the mid 80’s, does that count for “Go Retro”,(#22)? There is no rush to complete all 67, and I’m not sure I can or would want to actually. My next significant “To Do” item is #12, “Shape your own board”, and I will let you know how that turns out. Currently the plan is for something about 8 feet long and thick. One of the items, #25, suggests teaching someone to surf. I am doing this a little with my son, but he is young and I let him move at his own pace. Still, I have never been more stoked than seeing him stand and ride for the first time. I am far from being a seasoned surfer, but still I enjoy helping a co-worker by sharing what I know about surfing and be there to patch him up when he loses a round of fin vs. man. I know how much of an impact surfing has on me, so I am cautious about teaching others and won’t push it on anyone. For those that struggled for some time before it finally “clicked”, you can appreciate every small step forward your wave riding skills can move, and being on the teaching end can be pretty rewarding too. Teaching is a good way to learn and refine your own skills; after all, you don’t want to pass on something flawed or unsafe. It is more than that, because you have to communicate something that ultimately just has to be felt or experienced. Things like balance, just as you learned when you first rode a bike without training wheels, are hard to describe or teach. Of course those of you riding boards shorter than you are tall might think my thick, 9’6” longboard is just a surfboard version of training wheels. The whole surfing and equilibrium thing makes me think about how keeping in balance isn't about making all things equal but rather a continuous search or dance. If you keep everything equal all of the time then nothing ever changes. Maybe the lessons learned or taught through surfing go beyond the act of riding a wave. I enjoy the “dance” that takes place as I try to squeeze a few more moments from a ride, edging forward, then back, looking for that glide. I don’t know what I look like as I do this dance, and maybe I don’t want to know. I have a few boards now that I can actually ride, and switching from one to the other has taught me much about balance, and how keeping everything too familiar does not let you evolve as a surfer. So I will use the list of 67 things, ride as many different boards as I can, and keep honing my surfers dance to keep a little balance. I’m going to need this if #13, (Get shacked) is ever going to get checked off.

See you in the water.

surf writing submissions

a few of my "written in wax" submissions to the local surfers magazine.....

Secret Spot

I realize its taboo to discuss secret spots but I will try not to reveal yours, though I might just. Secret spots are by their nature a little mystical and hold some magic for their owners. You read about them on your local online surfing forums especially when they had just been firing off with chest high barrels just minutes away from the sloppy, pond like conditions that I was enjoying at the same time. Apparently there must be some secret time element to this thing too as it never fails that those most desirable of waves occurred in the past and less so in the present. Some spots have names which I don’t dare reveal in ink, but even not so secret places are treated as such. Perhaps if they remain secret to even just one person maybe they retain their magic.

I have a secret spot. The lay of the land there is such that the ocean isn’t revealed so easily, and the walk down to the wet sand where I pause to attach my leash is farther than some spots I visit. I have never gotten barreled in my spot (ok, this is misleading since I have never been barreled anywhere yet), nor is it always chest high, glassy, A-frame lefts nicely lined up. Really, its not even secret, actually it’s right at a public beach access. You can go there right now and if you can find a free spot, it’s all yours. If I see you at my secret spot, then you will be my secret surf soul sister or brother for that little bit of time though I will not likely know or ask your name. I will give you wide berth not because I am unfriendly, but more likely I need it to keep my fin safely out of your tail.

This secret spot I speak of is really more than the “place”. Truth is, my secret spot lies deeper within and exists wherever it is I happen to paddle out. No, that isn’t really true either because I don’t even need my board or be within sight of the ocean to go to my secret spot. I carry this feeling around with me always and it’s easily accessible. Surfing has graced me with a secret spot that not everyone gets to have. I worked hard for this spot over the last few years. I wake early when others are still sleeping so that I can weave surfing with the rest of my life. I paddle out in the cold of February and I paddle out even when it’s flat sometimes. I fix my own dings and bring life back to old boards. I kindle the stoke I find in others, and I try to leave the beach and ocean better than I find it each time.

Sometimes I glide across waves as I sit in traffic, take a moment to stretch at my desk, or when I doze off to sleep at night. Of course I have visited my secret spot in my dreams on those nights I am lucky enough to remember… but I still haven’t gotten barreled there either.

See you in the water.

Surf Karma and Surfers Healing

Good waves and great rides are not just handed out every day around here. Learning to read and understand weather patterns and tracking down all the surf cams is a good start, but what you really need is some positive surf karma. If you have any good karma at all there are some really good ways to lose your surf karma. There has been an epidemic of stolen boards around here. If you steal another surfer’s board, you are doomed to a life of bad surf karma and you should probably take up croquet or something. Of course dropping in on someone, snaking a wave or endangering swimmers because you are showing off will cost you a few karma points, but don’t despair, you can earn them back. Sharing your wax, teaching someone to surf, helping a stranger with their stuck wetsuit zipper, helping someone in distress, picking up trash on the beach, all of this will help earn your way toward good surf karma and I promise, better surfing.

The other day Surfer’s Healing (www.surfershealing.org) was back in town and I spent the day doing my little part to help. This organization was founded by a surfer after discovering how the ocean and surfing seemed to have a therapeutic effect on his young, autistic son. That day they shared, at no cost to the participants, the amazing feeling of surfing with over a hundred autistic children of all ages. Positive Surf Karma was thick in the air as children were transformed, if only for that moment, by surfing. The sounds of crying replaced by laughter as these kids glided on 12 foot tandem boards with what can be best described as true watermen and treated to some surprisingly fun looking waves. There were many people volunteering and much praise should go to the organizers of this event, both local and with the Surfers Healing organization, but it’s the surfers that flew in for this event that impacted me the most. I have watched lots of surfing on the beach, or on videos and yes many gifted, hard working surfers can do amazing things and tricks on a wide range of boards. That being said, I have never been more impressed by any surfer more than these incredibly friendly 7 or 8 guys surf for over 6 hours with little you could call a break, on huge tandem boards entrusted with the lives of these very special kids and do it all with style and incredible stamina. As the event neared the end, I recall one of the darkly tanned surfers who was among those who came from Hawaii, when most of us would have been exhausted and lifeless, lift a kid up on his shoulders as he glided down the line. I think a few of the surfers were some of our own local guys, and the others came in from California and Hawaii, but what they did that day was perhaps the most impressive surfing I have seen and I don’t think they can ever run dry of good surf karma. If you missed this event, there are plenty of other opportunities to make a positive contribution to surfing inspired charities and benefit events. If surfing has been good to you, then take this challenge and find a way to build your surf karma.

See you in the water.


Venturing Out

When I finally achieved some success surfing, and by that I mean standing more than a millisecond and actually choosing when to “dismount” the board, I found myself very reluctant to venture beyond one spot. The parking was easy, the waves never crowded (nor ever that great) and there is a shower and public restroom available for at least part of the year. I had enough to contend with trying to become proficient and in my mind I decided to take whatever this spot would give which was mostly some sense of familiarity and comfort. As confidence and skills began shaping up, I ventured outward to discover other places that suited my surfing needs and wants. In fact for some time, if you ignore the “tourist” lesson in Hawaii on a 12 foot soft top, my surfing experiences were confined to about 100 miles of coast between Topsail Island and Myrtle Beach.

I suspect many of our local surfers reach some point where the depth of your skills needed some balancing with the breadth of surfing experiences. Experiences that come with some exploration whether that is driving a few hours north, or traveling to the opposite side of the globe, or maybe just trying someone else’s board on a fun Saturday morning. Now, I can’t imagine taking a vacation without the chance to surf something. I recently had the opportunity to be in central California and found myself picking my way via subway and public bus to a spot that rented boards and a wetsuits before the long plane ride back home. I will tell you, you can never appreciate the beaches we have until you have surfed with a hundred other people in the water around you. The terrain and views around me, even the rocky makeup of the beach under my feet felt very surreal to this southeastern North Carolina surfer. Described as a beginner or novice beach break, I was faced with large, thick surf and an unforgiving impact zone to cross before any waves were to be caught. Quickly reminded of the love / hate relationship I have with wetsuits, I paddled into my first west coast wave. I caught several good waves and the length and speed of the rides is what stands out about that day…well, that and breaking a leash for the first time and having to swim back in. Did I mention the unforgiving impact zone and the wetsuit? I wouldn’t trade this adventure, but I was glad to get back in our warm waters while I can still surf bareback for a while this season.

All of this reminds me that there are so many places I have never been let alone surfed. I will keep venturing out, and looking for chances to ride the various waves around the world if I am so fortunate, but I am going to start here in my back yard and venture out and see what new spots I can ride nearby.

See you in the water.

The Food Chain

Some may know George at OnShore Surf Shop in Surf City, and as this is a local magazine, I won’t spend much more time on him other than a few words of advice he gave to me freely. They were really just truths that were shared and that I have always kept as part of my surfing knowledge. A 7’9” BIC was my first board from George and though he may not remember me well, it’s hard to forget him or these “truths”. The first was that I should take the bar of wax he had given me and rub it all over the board nice and thick. I did this like I was the karate kid in the famous “wax on, wax off” scene, and I still do use lots of wax as is evident on nearly every inch of 9’6” longboard. Maybe its wishful thinking on my part that I will use those 18 or so inches of the nose for much more than holding wax, but one of these days I will elegantly cross step to that place and hang at least a few toes over while riding a wave.

Enough of that…truth number two from this embodiment of surfing was simply that once you got past your ankles in the ocean, that you were part of the food chain. This was said like only a long haired (at the time), mustached, flip flop wearing, and blank foam dust covered guy could say. I repeat this today whenever others ask me about jellyfish and sharks, with not nearly quite the same effect. Yesterday I thought about this truth a little more intently. Surfing gives a unique perspective on the ocean not just as a scenic backdrop or watery playing field, but as a living thing. From the earliest days of surfing, I have marveled at the life that the big blue sea holds within that relatively small space where waves heave up after traveling from places far beyond. I have seen countless pelicans; a session without seeing my friends the pelicans seems incomplete. I have “experienced” jellyfish and still find them to be the most mysterious of creatures. The first sting felt like a right of passage and its itchy scar a badge of honor. Subsequent stings quickly have quickly lost this charm. I’ve seen fish up close that ranged from the tiny unidentified bait that puddle up on the nose of my deck as I paddled through a wave, to the foot long silvery specimen that hopped out of the water in front of me just feet away, to the barracuda that jumped out right behind in hot pursuit. I was so close, and it came as such a surprise that I didn’t have time to be afraid, just utterly amazed. Dolphins seen from the shore are a treat and almost always create a stir of cameras and pointing fingers but from atop a surfboard at 10 feet away they are majestic and awe inspiring. The wet, grey muscular bodies arc up in that familiar fashion and then disappear leaving most surfers feeling pretty inadequate in the water. The lucky surfer might catch them at play riding a wave or thrusting their sleek bodies completely out of the water (you try that next time you are out swimming). All these wonders plus the crabs and little clams make for an interesting view of this food chain with you more or less on top. Its not until you see the shark do you feel yourself as part of the food chain. So when I saw that dark dorsal fin, I started to smile anticipating that familiar arc of the dolphin, an arc that never came. This fin moved slower and stayed level and was heading my way. Instincts are a great thing so I paddled to shore for a few minutes and I finally appreciated what the waterman from Surf City meant.

an older surfer

In about 3 months I will turn 4o. This does not bother me, and I don't think about it much. Most birthdays of my 20's and 30's are pretty uneventful actually. I feel younger these past few years than the years before, so I think I am pretty fortunate. Last year I surfed on my birthday. Being two days before christmas can be tricky time to go surfing. I certainly don't want the visiting inlaws to think I would rather surf than spend quality time with my extended family...



Anyway, last year the water was cold on December 23rd and choppy, and windy, and had a north to south drift that felt like a whitewater canoe ride more than a surf session. I paddled out anyway because it was my birthday and I could not imagine anything else I'd rather be doing. This December will only be significant because the wife tells me I should get something really special for my fortieth birthday..a surfboard she suggests...



Buying a new longboard of the quality that I would want is no minor expense, at least in terms of my relative wealth, but then again I rarely spend a lot of money on my self and I like to think that surfing is a lot cheaper than say..golfing, or boating. Its also something that I would have thought to be really easy to do. Afterall I "window shop" boards all the time. The buyers guide in every issue of Longboard Magazine is like the Dupont Registry of surf. One of the boards caught my eye in the issue I just recieved..the Infinity Secret Weapon. I was and mostly still are leaning toward a locally shaped and glassed just for me longboard, but the Secret Weapon was intriguing. I made the mistake of going by Sweetwater Surf Shop near my favorite break, where they by chance had not one, but two Secret Weapons. I think any surfer would be impressed by the obvious volume of space this board occupies. It was easily 4 inches thick...I am not so sure I could hold this board under my arm and I really would not care either!



So, you might see me on a new board..or maybe I will just keep riding what I have and love...

Allan Weisbecker redux

http://www.banditobooks.com/

Go visit the site. Buy a book if you are so inclined, but this is not a book website. Its a thing, a meeting room , or vacation getaway for those who belong to the club without a roster.

A few years ago when I 1st made my 2nd attempt at surfing, I began to devour the surfing world and culture in any way I could. In part this included reading about surfing, surfers, and books written by surfers. Then it hit me like pillowcase full of sexwax..I found "In Search of Captain Zero" and then soon after "Cosmic Banditos" by Allan Weisbecker. His website talked about his plight to get his next book..Can't you get along with anyone" published. I finally just emailed the address on his website to tell him what his works meant to me and I actually got a reply. I never met the guy in person, but I'd say he was a friend. In a surreal sense, we need each other. If you have never read anything by Weisbecker, I would suggest reading In Search of Captain Zero first, then maybe just wait a few months and read the others. Then wait a year or so and read them all again.

A week ago at this time I was in Myrtle Beach with family. This part of SC is not know for particularly good waves, but then I am accustomed to so -so waves, shore break conditions and knee high mush anyway. In fact, I have come to appreciate the value of not judging a wave unless I am in the water. Sure, when you see your favorite spot looking like pond on a still day you probably won't get any good rides, but otherwise you might be surprised what you would have missed when you just paddle out and see for yourself. I enjoyed half a dozen really fun sessions over three days on imperfect, knee to waist range waves. I did not get the thrill catching a big, fast wave or have the chance for a nice swooping bottom turn, but I did get a chance to practice and push my skills in getting down the line and adjusting my planing to get the best, longest rides. Of course none of this was possible without my trusty steed. The 9'6" Will Allison Classic Longboard, complete with the seahorse (hence the steed reference) logo. This is a beautiful board. Its beauty is now somewhat imperfect with the several repaired dings, scratches and a few discolorations, but its beauty comes in its ride and maybe because it has so much of my soul in it now. On one of those small Myrtle Beach waves I managed to collide my elbow into its thick rounded rails. Both the rail and the elbow lost out on that... The elbow healed, but the board required my help getting fixed. Once I cleaned out its wound of loose or cracked fiberglass and foam I carefully added filler to the void, then 2 layers of cloth and more resin. A quick sanding should smooth out the rough edges and it will be seaworthy again. I may give too much credit to this inanimate object, but its soul, born in its shaper's and fed by mine and its other riders, is something very real to me.

Its been a few weeks. I participated as a volunteer the other day for Surfer's Healing. The organization pairs the surfing world with autistic children. It was an impressive day and I plan to write about this some more. I met some guys from Hawaii who completely embody the whole concept of a surfer. I have seen lots of surfers do amazing tricks and such, but the most impressive surfers I have experienced were these 5 or 6 guys who surfed almost 6 hours , on 12 foot plus tandems with autistic children under their care as they navigated the waves.

Also, this past saturday has firmed up my belief that you should just paddle out even when it doesnt look so hot. I had some of the best rides of my life on what most would deem a "so so" day. Of course I still have a lot of experience to gain, and those rides may pale to future ones, but for now, I have impressed even myself. Lately I have been pushing my skill level, really trying to make better turns and get longer rides down the line. Hurricane Dean, deep in the Gulf of Mexico and unfortunately now proven to be a deadly storm has also sent a gift to surfers here in southeastern North Carolina. I will likely go out this evening, tomorrow morning , or maybe both..

Pacifica, Linda Mar Beach and the Rent-a-log

I arrived in Pacifica, CA on Saturday via the metro and public bus from San Francisco. All my luggage was in storage at the airport and I was able to travel pretty easily. The bus stop was in walking distance to at least 3 surf shops and I chose The Log Shop on Crespi Avenue in case you ever make it there. More pictures are on my Flickr account. I rented a well used 9'6" SurfTech soft top board with a great fin- it was a "Fluid Foil" by FCS I believe. The fellas at the Log Shop were great, letting me use there changing room and then storing the little bag of stuff that I had brought along. I remember feeling the excitement in my chest as I walked over the little hill that had blocked my view from the street where I had landed. The ocean was a little choppy, bigger waves than expected and the crowd in the water was really surprising. I estimated at least 100 surfers, mostly on the south half of the mile long beach. The far northern side is a little rockier, and no one seemed to be surfing there, so I took this as a cue. That being said, I was not interested in trying to surf the same wave as 20 others, so I went to the northern edge of the crowds near the middle of this beach. As the day went on and the tide rose, things seemed to get choppier and the wave size dropped. The pictures are from that part of the day, but I surfed at lower tide and much larger wave sets it seemed. I am quite certain that I surfed my largest waves and longest rides to date at Linda Mar this past Saturday.

There were many people in the surf as indicated, but to add to the mix is that most of these were beginners or at best novices. In fact, I was feeling pretty competent and skilled in comparison to many of the others I saw, but mostly I recall that most of the big crowds didn't seem to be surfing at all, just taking up valuable space in the lineup. Before I paddled out, I realized that my leash swivel had worn out and kept coming apart. Not wanting to walk back for another, I tied it up in knots and paddled out. This will become more relavent later. I caught a few smallish, shorebreak kind of waves and found that the soft top responded well and was very floaty. The whitewash was thick, fast and powerful too. Each time was a bear to get back out, so I decided to move outside a little farther. Soon I realized that the relatively light lineup around me was mostly better surfers that actually were catching some waves. Partially as a matter of respect for the "locals", and mostly my own lack of confidence in being able to route myself around human obstacles, I gave the others a lot of room and found myself on the outside, soaking in the reality that I was surfing in California. That, and I was trying to get my strength and wind back after a hard paddle through the impact zone on my rent-a-log.

My time came. I found myself surprised by some impressive sets that rolled past me. They were much larger than I am used to, but they were deep and had a thick A-frame shape that was not intimidating. I paddled hard and felt myself starting to slip quickly down the face of the wave. I popped up had the luxury of what was to be a nice long ride. On my local breaks, I don't always have the wave or time to make a nice bottom turn and get positioned for a long breaking wave. The rent-a-log was thick and floated me so well I felt like I was riding above the waves a few times. I will not soon forget those rides and maybe never.

I experienced several rides like this, each time the adreniline from the previous ride was enough to push me back through the shorebreak. So when my leash broke, or rather my knot worked loose, I found myself in large breaking waves, in a 4/3 wetsuit and relying on the same muscles and stamina that I had been abusing for the last hour or so. I am a good swimmer, but I realized right then I really need to be a great swimmer, something I will work on for sure. Moving waves on a shoreline make forward movement difficult, and the added weight and constraint of a wetsuit only adds to the problem. I struggled a little, but I saw a few surfers around me and - I think anyway- had I called out for help if I needed it, they would have. A small group of tourists on the beach found my board and moved it on to the shore, they seemed concerned or maybe curious, or perhaps just waiting to be on the front row of some morbidly curious lost surfer show. Not sure if I disappointed them by pulling myself to solid ground, but they were happy enough to take credit for catching my board.

I rested for some time, then walked back to the surf shop. Somewhere along the way I went from turning in my gear and calling it a day to trading in the broken leash for a new one. After a gatorade and a few more minutes on the beach, I was ready to resume. Upon making my way out again, now with a very stout Dakine leash the clerk took of the retail wall, I was securely tethered to my board. The heavy crowds had pushed closer to my spot, and I took the opportunity to scan the others. There was the 50 something, tall , thin Ralph Lauren look-alike on an epoxy Stewart (who knows maybe he surfs Linda Mar?) that helped me get my wetsuit zipper unstuck earlier . There was a stocky guy with a shave head and a bent nose that was on a shortboard, from whom I did my best to stay clear. There were two younger women out together on some performance longboards. They seemed pretty agile and I was impressed that they charged as hard as anyone, though they seeme to come and go pretty quickly. Another shortboarder with a long curly hair and beard. We passed each other pretty close and I took the liberty of saying hello, which was not returned and he seemed to keep a healthy distance from me afterward. There was an asian guy about my age maybe, on a really nice looking board- certainly not a rental. I don't think he ever really made it past the impact zone. There were loads of rental boards and little groups of those who were at a point that I was maybe 2 years ago. Time flies when you are having fun.....

More pics from this trip at http://www.flickr.com/photos/surflongboards/sets/72157601254786940/

See what Surfline has to say at...http://www.surfline.com/reports/report.cfm?id=5013

Heading to San Francisco

I am attending and speaking at a conference in San Francisco this week and I am in the airport now waiting to depart. Almost immediately once I confirmed the conference details, I started thinking about how I might manage to go surfing while there. There is a myriad of online resources of course, and I am impressed by how the so called "flat days" at west coast spots are likely bigger than our average days here at our local breaks. My plan is to check conditions first at Ocean Beach on the pacific facing coast of the San Francisco peninsula. Its supposed to be sort of big and difficult most times, but if its a smallish day there, I will rent from Aqua Surf Shop and can get there on street cars and walking. The other more likely options is to make my way about 20 minutes south to Pacifica and Linda Mar beach. Several shops rent there and its a more beginner break and longboard suited. We will see.

favorite surfers

Southeastern North Carolina has produced many great surfers and if you pay attention or are the type that follows this kind of thing then you can likely name them as well as I can. I have a lot of favorite surfers, but I can’t name most of them. I recognize them out in the surf and you might too. One favorite surfer is the little kid not quite strong enough to paddle out or into a wave, but once someone gives a little push they drop down the face and make turns like a champ. Imagine how good they might be one day. Another is the old guy (and I say this in the most respectful way) who managed to get his 10 foot log out past the big, churning impact zone and caught good rides while meanwhile I got put in my place and was left bruised, breathless and wave less. I also have a high regard for those in our midst that that shape and glass those works of art that carry us and move us across the waves- our waves. Not only can they surf, but they can magically transfer that feeling into a thing, a shape. You may know their names, but if you don’t be sure to ask around and then go buy a local shaped board when you have the chance or the means. One of my favorite surfers pops up now and again at my favorite spots and I like to think we watch each others backs when no one else is out. I will never forget standing on a foggy day facing a wave that I could only hear and not see. That favorite surfer showed up just when I thought donning a wetsuit might not be worth the hassle. His soul standing there next to me provided an invisible push that morning and I had one of the most memorable sessions ever. Other favorites are of the fairer sex. I don’t tend to segregate surfers as men and women otherwise, but the truth is that women surfers add a grace and style that I just don’t have. Then there is that group I always see around. Sometimes just two show up, other days maybe five or six. They always catch the right waves, follow the best lines, and then effortlessly are back out for the next set. Yes, these favorite surfers are my friends the pelicans. I have another favorite surfer. With the exception of maybe my kids, he is no one else’s favorite. I admit that one of my very favorite surfers is me. I am my own favorite because when I am in the act surfing, I can’t think about anything or anyone else. And in that moment, I doubt you could convince me otherwise.

See you in the water.

Secret Spot

I submitted this to a local surf publication. I am not sure it will be published, but it is one of the reasons I decided to start this blog....

I realize its taboo in the surf culture to discuss secret spots but I will try not to reveal yours, though I might just. Secret spots are by their nature a little mystical and hold some magic for their owners. You read about them on your local online surfing forums especially when they had just been firing off with chest high barrels just minutes away from the sloppy, pond like conditions that I was enjoying at the same time. Apparently there must be some secret time element to this thing too as it never fails that those most desirable of waves occurred in the past and less so in the present. Some spots have names which I don’t dare reveal in ink, but even not so secret places are treated as such. Perhaps if they remain secret to even just one person maybe they retain their magic.

I have a secret spot. The lay of the land there is such that the ocean isn’t revealed so easily, and the walk down to the wet sand where I pause to attach my leash is farther than some spots I visit. I have never gotten barreled in my spot (ok, this is misleading since I have never been barreled anywhere yet), nor is it always chest high, glassy, A-frame lefts nicely lined up. Really, its not even secret, actually it’s right at a public beach access. You can go there right now and if you can find an empty parking spot, it’s all yours. If I see you at my secret spot, then you will be my secret surf soul sister or brother for that little bit of time though I will not likely know nor ask your name. I will give you wide berth not because I am unfriendly, but more likely I need it to keep my fin safely out of your tail.

This secret spot I speak of is really more than the “place”. Truth is, my secret spot lies deeper within and exists wherever it is I happen to paddle out. No, that isn’t really true either because I don’t even need my surfboard or be within sight of the ocean to go to my secret spot. I carry this feeling around with me always and it’s easily accessible. Surfing has graced me with a secret spot that not everyone gets to have. I worked hard for this spot over the last few years. I wake early when others are still sleeping so that I can weave surfing with the rest of my life. I paddle out in the cold of February and I paddle out even when it’s flat sometimes. I fix my own dings and bring life back to old boards. I kindle the stoke I find in others, and I try to leave the beach and ocean better than I find it each time.

Sometimes I glide across waves as I sit in traffic, take a moment to stretch at my desk, or when I doze off to sleep at night. Of course I have visited my secret spot in my dreams on those nights I am lucky enough to remember… but I still haven’t gotten barreled there either.

See you in the water.

Starting a Blog is a little like starting a journal, or a letter as much thought will occur before the writing starts. Most of this will be related to surfing- not the internet mind you, but surfing the ocean waves. More about all of this later...